A Machynlleth community organisation has just been awarded close to £100,000 to encourage the Dyfi Valley to grow and eat more seasonal veg.

Mach Maethlon has been awarded £99,979 to run a new two-year project called Grow, Cook, Eat Together.

The project will work with people around the valley to encourage more everyday food growing.

The National Lottery Community Funding will pay for free workshops on basic cookery skills, cooking from scratch with seasonal ingredients and how to preserve an excess of veg grown.

The funding also means the organisation can continue giving out seed packs to young families.

Alice Read, project co-ordinator for Edible Mach, Mach Maethlon, said: “We have been approached by lots of different organisations, schools, youth clubs, village halls and care homes for us to deliver activities with their people.

“So this funding is fantastic as it will enable us to expand on what we already do and deliver more cooking and growing activities to even more people in the area."

The seed packs will enable families with primary school-aged children to grow crops for a particular meal, as well as teach ideas in workshops for using their partner project, Mach Veg Box, to create home-cooked meals.

Edible Mach, established 13 years ago as part of the voluntary organisation Mach Maethlon, also grows edible crops in public vegetable beds around the town ‘for all to harvest and enjoy’, aiming to connect people with local food, sustainability and skills development.

Mach Maethlon, founded by residents, works to build local food resilience through community organising and their projects Edible Mach and Mach Veg Box.

To learn more, join and help steer the new project Grow, Cook, Eat Together, join their introductory meeting at 6.30pm Thursday 20 February at the Wynnstay Hotel in Machynlleth.

Correction: This article previously contained a photo of Mach Veg Box which does not benefit from this funding.